Everyone needs a Coach

I was listening to a Five Thirty Eight Podcast and my ears perked up when Nate Silver mentioned having a poker coach. So did his colleagues it seemed because they quizzed him on why someone like Nate would have a coach. Nate gave A LOT of great reasons to have a coach, but it boils down to a few things I’d like to mention.

1. Talking through a problem helps

When you work through a problem, verbalizing that problem and explaining it to someone else, helps reveal information and forces you to organize your thoughts. This simple tasks starts forcing you to stop considering everything all at once and helps guide you through your own thought process. What you bring up first clearly matters more to you, but is it really the most important thing, or is it what you're hung up on right now? Coaches need to ask good questions to get at the heart of the issue and as they ask those question, you are forced to look at a different perspective, which gets us to point two 2. Outside perspective.

Nate is an accomplished poker player, having subsisted on poker winnings for a period of time in his life. He’s been playing the game at a high level for almost 2 decades. But even someone as numbers guided and steeped in the game as him wants someone to help navigate the rough spots of the game. This perspective is invaluable. Someone that knows you and the situation you're in, will be able to provide a good sounding board for ideas and instant feedback on how to proceed with nexts steps. Coaching is learning from actions quickly, to ensure if a similar situation arises, you can act with more wisdom the next time. Coaching provides this wisdom

3. No one person can be an expert at all things and all times

This may seem simple and straightforward, but I was reminded again today that anyone with the mentality of “I’m always right” is probably just never challenged. Now if you think that way, coaching will just get in your way. Trust me, no one at Blaze Point thinks you're right all of the time. We’re going to ask you questions, we have an expectation of the truth. Coaching is like much of life, you get what you out in, and if you put garbage into this system, you’ll get garbage out. Working with others means trusting them, and bringing your fully true and honest self is how you can grow and learn from others.

Now, If Nate Silver is trusting his work to a coach, maybe you should consider looking into one to help grow your career as well?